The protocol that surrounds many of those carried out in the Vatican They surprise most believers and non-believers. The rites that are followed when a new pope is chosen are among the best known and if you are a few years old, you have surely seen the "fumata bianca" go out through the Vatican chimney. In Supercurioso we have talked to you about some of the Potatoes most known and in a recent post of the pregnancy chair that was the way the Popes moved before the "Papamobile" existed. Investigating about that uncomfortable contraption, we came across an extremely curious "seat" that surprised us: Estercoraria Chair .
The Estercoraria Chair , of which some copies are still preserved, apparently served to verify that the Pope had testicles and was used only once, immediately after the election of the new pontiff. Join us to find out how it was used and the phrase that was said once verified that "I had two and hung well".
The Estercoraria Chair
The official name was "Sedia Estercoraria" and the chosen one had to sit on it while a deacon put his hand under the chair and verified that the new Pope had masculine attributes. Once confirmed the sex of the subject, the deacon proclaimed: "Duos habet et bene pendentes" which means in Latin that "it has two and hang well". There are other similar phrases for the proclamation like: "Testiculos habet" or "Testes habet et bene pendentes". The assistants to the cermonia answered saying: "Deo Gratias" (Thank God).
The legend of Papisa Juana and the estercoraria Chair
For a long time it was said that the reason for the use of the estercoraria chair was due to the fact that in the 9th century a woman named Juana had come to occupy the throne of San Pedro. Legend has it that the Curia and all of Rome found out that she was a woman when, in a procession through the streets of the city, she went into labor. After this fact and so that it did not happen again, was checked after each election that the new pontiff had the attributes of a male .
Many historians claim that this ceremony never existed and that the stool chairs that are exhibited in the Vatican Museums and in other museums of the world are actually old toilets without water in the style of those who had the old wealthy Romans. For them this story was invented in the Middle Ages to explain the existence of these curious chairs. However, there are engravings on the ceremony and the Innocent X Proof of Masculinity of the seventeenth century is especially known.
What do you think? Do you think that this ceremony could really exist and that the use of the estercoraria chair Was it really that? Share your opinion with us! If you want to know other Vatican curiosities, we invite you to read the post: Cardinal Bibbiena's Stufetta: Pornography in the Vatican?